MISSOULA — Mother of two, Amy Weimer, has only been the social worker at Willard Alternative High School for a year.
However, her impact was immediately felt.
“I’m just like the voice for the vulnerable kids I think,” Weimer told MTN when describing her position at Willard.
Classes are nontraditional at Willard, including experiential learning that spans beyond classroom settings.
“We all go by our first names, so it's really personal,” said Weimer. “We work with a lot of kids that have trauma and so being able to get up and move and interact with their teachers on like a 1 to 1 level makes a huge difference for their education.”
Daily, Willard staff do much more than teach students.
“We're making food bags, we're ubering kids to and from medical appointments, we have in-house therapy," Weimer explained.
As for Weimer, she helps and goes to bat for over 160 at-risk students.
“Are they living in foster care? Do they have transportation issues? Are they homeless? Because a big percentage of our students are homeless. Do they have mental health issues, substance use stuff? And we get to address all that stuff day to day.”
“Everyone should have someone like Weimer in their corner," Principal Cameron Johnson said.
That's why he noted she’s more that deserving of the title of Whitefish Credit Union's Unsung Hero.
“I’m guessing he nominated me because we've been in and out of court getting kids in safer homes," Weimer shared.
She's excited for the tickets to Under the Big Sky that come with it. “I looked at going the last few years and they're always sold out by the time I get it together,” Weimer said.
Still though, Weimer doesn’t work for the accolades, she tries her hardest for the students because she knows how crucial it is for them.
“I'm invested in it because I was a student that would have benefited from somewhere like Willard," Weimer told MTN.
